The Dance

By Serenade Goryō

A/N: Danny Phantom isn't mine. Rating is M for a reason.

I'd seen Sam dance before: her effortless style, the way her hips move and the way her eyes darken with intensity. I'd seen the way she could make her way through a crowd like she was parting the red sea, the same people who barely noticed her at school suddenly watching her every step. She was beautiful that night, more beautiful than she normally was, and she flaunted it with a confidence I envied.

I had felt her hands on me before, too. That first dance years ago when she and I danced the last song of the evening. We made small talk, smiled and laughed about nothing at all. It was nice, but not like this. This was different.

Sam laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Danny, why are you so tense? Relax. It's just me."

And that was the problem. It was Sam. And she was most certainly not just Sam. Not to me, anyhow.

#

If I had to choose a moment where everything changed, where my thoughts about Sam went from just friendship to something more, I'd have to say it was that Christmas, right after Tucker sent me upstairs to his room to get a present he forgot to give to his Dad. Sam was upstairs getting changed out of the dress her parents made her wear to Tucker's house for dinner that night and I had already opened the door to his room when I noticed Sam was in there, changing. I could have closed it right away or said something, but I didn't, frozen by what I saw.

Sam was humming a song, badly, and bending to take off her pantyhose, smooth silk running up and down her long legs, before pulling on her knee high boots. And there was that split second where she pulled off the dress and her black camisole only hung an inch below her waist…

When I came to my senses enough to quietly walk away until she was finished, my breath was quicker and my hands felt too warm and I knew…I knew that I'd never be able to look at her the same way again.

#

That night, I was noticing everything about her like it was my first time seeing her. We agreed to go to the dance together as just friends, but that damn dress, that skimpy little black dress with purple lace that barely covered anything at all, clung to her everywhere I wanted my hands to go. I couldn't stop staring at her, stop wanting to touch her. It was torture, so painful that I almost wished that my ghost sense would go off just so I'd have a little break from having to withstand it, to endure having to stand this close to her and not being able to hold her like I desperately wanted to.

"I love this song," Sam sighed into my ear, her lips coming so close I could feel her breath. "It's an independent label, too."

It got to be too much. So I gave in, letting my hands drop a little right above the swell of her hips. I braced myself for a quick rebuke, but Sam didn't push my hands back up and call me a pervert or roll her eyes and complain about how all guys were the same. No. She just kept right on swaying to the music.

I let my hands drop a little lower, pulling her closer. And instead of pulling back like I thought she might do she leaned into me even more. It was overwhelming, the unfamiliarity of certain parts of our bodies touching, the darkness of the room making it easy to block out everyone else and become absorbed in the way her body was pressed tightly against me.

"Sam?" I said, as she let her hands slide up my back and into my hair, my head tucked into the curve of her neck, inhaling her perfume.

"Hmmm…"

I realized I had to say something before she noticed what my long suit jacket was now barely concealing. "Can you do me a favor, please?"

Sam looked up, a curious expression on her face. "Sure? What is it?"

I sighed. "Could you try to remember that I'm still a guy? I mean, I'm still half human. If you keep touching me like that I'm not sure I can be responsible for my sense of decency."

Her eyes got a little wider…then she smiled, amused. "Oh…" she said, not pulling away, surprising me by pressing herself even closer. The sensation was so intense that it bordered on painful.

"I'm not an idiot, Danny. Believe me… I know you're a guy."

"Oh..." I said.

Sam rocked her hips forward, beginning a rhythmic caress on the nape of my neck, planting a gentle kiss there. Oh.

"Still clueless?" she whispered.

"No..."

And that's how it started. Just like that. I kissed her then, our hands falling into each other's hair, the last vestige of our being strictly platonic falling away… on and on, while we momentarily forgot that there were other people in the room.

Including one, Tucker Foley and his giggling date Valerie.

"Ahem…" our best friend said, and we reluctantly pulled apart.

Tucker smirked over at Sam, both laughing at a joke I wasn't let in on.

"I told you the dress would work," Valerie said, raising an eyebrow.

#

We left the dance early.

The limo driver simply asked Sam, "Where to?" and she replied, "To Somersville", which was at least an hour away. She rolled up the dark divider between us and the driver and turned on the radio…loud.

It wasn't like me to be so bold, and I did it with full knowledge that I'd never hear the end of it if Tucker or Valerie ever found out, but I pulled Sam onto my lap, kissing down her neck as she ran her fingers along my collar, undoing my tie.

I looked up into her eyes. My best friend. Sam… Thinking about where things were heading made me start to question everything. I wanted her more than I'd ever wanted anyone, but I couldn't stand to lose her as my best friend. I loved her. I knew that much was true. But if something went wrong…

Sam read my mind. "Danny, we'll always be friends. No matter what, I'll always be there for you," she said before kissing me, hungrily. And as much as I still had some reservations about crossing the line with her, I was dizzy with desire. As the music blared and we drove along the mostly deserted highway I felt like I was having an out of body experience, lost in the universe somewhere, a stranger to even myself.

I vaguely remember the phone in the limo ringing, unanswered; she was reaching down to unbutton my pants. When she touched me, my breath caught like stone in my throat and Sam said nothing, no snide remark about what was now a very visible hard on.

Her smile was slow, maybe a little sad, the ache of it going straight through me. God, she had no idea what even the smallest look from her could do to me.

"I love you, Danny. It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I'll take what I can get, but I don't just want you to think I was just trying to seduce you or something. I mean…It's more than that. I've been trying to tell you for so long. I just…"

I cut her off with a kiss. "I love you, too." My voice had a ragged edge as I whispered into her ear. "I've always loved you, Sam."

And she fell into me then, fully, her hands running over my chest and her mouth moving over mine so violently that I had to gasp for air.

"Oh, Danny…"

How many years had we done this careful dance, not crossing lines, not letting ourselves admit the things we both knew? And now Sam was straddling me, on her knees not in prayer but in the midst of something nearly as powerful. My body was tense, poised…ready.

"I want you…" I admitted. "Please…" I said as I let my hands move down to the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, trailing just under her panty line and then upwards to cup her breasts. She made a small noise as I brushed my palms across her breasts, moving the small strap down from across her shoulders.

I could feel the tightness in my throat as I moved my fingertips over them, making her nipples rise, hard, tight, aching, and I watched her, her eyes closed and her lips pursed together.

I tried to memorize the way she looked – her beautiful face, the delicate curve of her shoulders and her hips. I listened to the sound of her breathing; the way the sweet, soft moans escaped her lips.

I was trembling. I'd played this scene out in my head a thousand times, this scene I'd thought was too dangerous even for a fantasy. But now, now Sam's hands were tugging at my jacket, pulling it down and off and moving to the buttons of my shirt as I raised my hips to help her.

When she finished with my shirt she tossed it to the floor of the limousine next to my jacket. Then, in one startling sweep, her hands went down to the hem of her dress pulling it up and over her head leaving her with only her panties on and stockings that stopped at the top of her thighs.

I exhaled deeply, almost moaning. God, she was everything I'd imagined. Her face was flushed as she lifted herself off of me so that I could start pulling off her stockings and she sighed when I finished with this task, not allowing her to sit back down but instead moving in so that I could kiss her stomach, inhale her scent.

I needed the taste of her. I wanted to be inside of her, but I wanted more than just that. I'd never known a girl that way before, in any way really, and I wanted to try everything with Sam, so I let my fingers hook into her panties to yank them down and moved my mouth over her thatch of hair before she could object.

"Oh, God…Danny…," she said, as she held my head, her hands pulling hard through my hair as I licked her, tasted her, with her crying now in surprise and joy at her happy surrender.

I let my tongue dance over her, then inside of her. Sam clenched her teeth, struggling not to scream as she came, struggling to keep her own legs open and even then I didn't stop. I wanted all of her, this beautiful girl….no… a woman…now needing me as much as I had always needed her.

I slid my pants off before I pulled her back down to me and gently…slowly…she took me inside of her. Our eyes met, old friends…new lovers, and Sam whispered my name as I echoed hers.

When I met with resistance I waited, not wanting to hurt her, and so we held each other very still for a moment …trembling deep…so fucking deep, until Sam closed her eyes and pushed herself down onto me.

She whimpered.

"Sam? Are you okay?" I whispered, worried.

"Yes.." she said. "I'm fine, now."

I knew there would be the pain of me taking her completely, so I waited for her to start moving first before I started to slowly thrust in time with her.

"I love you," I reminded her, moving a little faster now…a little deeper, until tiny beads of sweat began to form across her forehead and I let myself get lost inside of her. Wet...so warm.

Too much, too much, Oh Jesus, what I'd always wanted but too much. I was melting down; our breathing ragged, hard, her eyes flashing violet and silver, her grinding hips beating into me…it felt like years of ache had built up to this final release and I took her with me over the edge, coming inside of her; a long, slow, joyful explosion.

"Sam…" It was my turn to whimper.

Another first for both of us… with each other. And I couldn't imagine it happening any other way.

I held her for a long time after that, in helpless release. And some time after that, we got to Somersville where Sam told the limo driver to pull up to the lake where the stars were ablaze and we got out to stand on the edge of the dock.

Sam took both of my hands, wrapping them around her waist. "One more dance?"

"So long as it isn't the last," I told her.